• Disclosure & Privacy
  • Soupmaker Club
  • Newest Toy Reviews
  • Rolling Back The Years
  • High Protein Cooking

Scottish Mum

Blogger Aberdeen, Blogger Scotland, Health and Lifestyle Blogger Aberdeen, Lesley Smith Blogger, Aberdeen

  • My Recipe E-Books
    • Soup Maker Recipes: Book 1 – 60 Soup Maker Recipes
    • Soup Maker Recipes Book 2 – 30 More Tasty Soups
  • Food
    • Food Tips & Safety
    • High Protein
    • Low Carb
    • Soup Maker Recipes
    • Video Recipes
  • Recipes
    • Baking & Sweet Treats
    • Drinks & Shakes
    • Fish
    • Froothie Recipes
    • Jams & Preserves
    • Low Carb
    • Mains
    • Pancakes
    • Pasta Dishes
    • Pressure Cooking – Instant Pot
    • Puddings
    • Puree for Children / Dementia Care
    • Salad
    • Sandwiches
    • Sides & Vegetables
    • Slow Cooking
    • Soup Maker
    • Soups
    • Spicy and Aromatic
    • Stock
  • Lifestyle
    • Adoption
    • Blogging Tips
    • Charity
    • Family
    • Health and Wellbeing
    • In The News
    • Parenting
    • Rolling Back The Years
    • Special Needs
    • Technology
  • Contact

Family

Fare Thee Well My Faithful Friend, Holly

We’ve had a slew of deaths in the past year, not least the kids birth mum, but I’ve yet to write about that.

This week, we said goodbye to Holly, and it was by far, the toughest death we’ve had.

I know some will think that it’s only a dog, but for those who’ve had dogs, you’ll know, it’s like having another child in the family.

When she arrived, I was a childless and infertile woman, who had no prospects of future children.

She became my little baby, as she picked me when we went to see the dogs available from a local farm.  She kept me company through IVF and the adoption process, and she welcomed the kids with open paws.  Ok, she hid for the noisy spells, but she quickly became attached to two little boys.

dogsunglasses

2011

When the boys arrived, a decade ago, it was tough going, but the dog showed them so much love, that they bonded with her quickly.

I’d often wonder where the little one had disappeared to, then found him curled up and fast asleep, cuddled into her stomach.

Dog

Holly 2002

The middle one spent a lot of his day banging his head on the wall, and most of his evenings screaming.  She nudged and cajoled him, until his arms went round her neck, and their bond stayed close for the rest of her life.

When she went blind at 7, the tables were turned, and he became her eyes in the garden, until she got used to getting about on her own.

Here’s how she coped as a blind dog.

For 13.5 years, she’s been my baby, so it was a hard loss for us all.  Being a large dog, the actual process of putting her to sleep was quite traumatic, and much more involved than when we had to do the same for our cat.  She died on the 28th October, the same day as the kids grandfather a year ago.

Holly 2012
Holly Huntly
Holly Hydrotherapy
Holly Snow

Our last picture of her, two days before she died, smiling as usual.  Helping her on her way, was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do in my life.

Holly Last Picture

Here’s an old poem I wrote about her, now amended as she’s gone.

Ma Bonnie Yellow Lab

Ye wir bonnie n bricht wi yer licht glossy coat
Ye’d nowt tae say fan ye wir in yer bed, but ootside, yer bark fared well
Ye began to feel auld n sad, when ye teeted oot of yer paws
Them auld grey een, with now tae see nae mair

The dogs o yer youth, wir ower the hill, or gone
All braw pups, eence loupin n floppin
Spinnin in tae mud, an treadin thru water
Free wi the birds an chasin roon hares

Oor dreams come tae mend us, an ye’d see thru yer heid
Wi shut een, ye’d see clear, an yer limbs strode the air
As yer een and yer nose twitched, yer ears lifted up high
An a whisper of dinner, broucht ye richt tae ma heel

Settin doon on the grun, like the twa auld wifies we wir
Ah minded hoo we were, an grinned frae afar
Ye wir nae ready tae go, an ah wis nae ready tae lose ye
We’d mair tae share, an ye’d nae had yer fill

But pain came tae bind ye, tho ye’d niver show it
Yer legs struggled tae stan, and yer eyes wir richt sad
But ye still loved a cuddle, an a birl roon the streets
Then thon cancer returned, an ye focht till the end

Ah’ve loved ye sin the day ah bocht ye
An ah’ll niver forget just a that ye gave me
Withoot a doot, a heart sae grand
My bonnie yellow lab, wi a retrievers nose

Ye’ll be in ma dreams
Till ma last day of sleep
An we’ll baith race tae that river
Eence mair tae the breen

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Tumblr
  • Pocket
  • Email
  • Print
  • Instagram
  • WhatsApp
  • Skype
  • Telegram

Related


5 Comments

Advertisement

My Soup Maker E-Books

Advertisement
 

« Review & Giveaway: Wallace Tartan Blanket Rug from #BuyAKilt.com
Giveaway: Win A Set of 4 Gemstone Animals – Ends 10th December 2015 »

Comments

  1. Alison says

    November 2, 2014 at 6:52 pm

    So sorry to hear your news, it must be so hard to lose a faithful friend. Thinking of you

    Reply
    • Scottish Mum says

      November 4, 2014 at 3:23 pm

      Thanks Alison

      Last week was tough, but we seem to be moving on now, and thankfully the kids are feeling a bit better now that we have a plan. I only managed to remove her bed today, as the youngest wasn’t ready for it to go, but he’s getting there.

      Thanks
      x

      Reply
  2. Lou says

    November 2, 2014 at 5:31 pm

    She’ll be missed by us all. The best dog in the world. Sending my love to you and the boys. xx

    Reply
  3. Lois says

    November 2, 2014 at 5:06 pm

    Oh my friend, my heart breaks for you and the boys. It’s the hardest thing in the world to gut through and knowing you, you will manage it well, with tears in your heart, tears in your eyes. Sending huge hugs to all.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Advertisement

Get my latest news to your inbox - FREE

Advertisements




My E-Books on Amazon

Advertisement

Links and Disclosure on Scottish Mum

This website contains affiliate links and banner adverts, mainly labelled advertisement.

Opinions are always my own and are not brand influenced. Links to brands are not guaranteed, & are at my discretion.

Posts which are commissioned by/in collaboration with brands, supported by brands, or reviews, will be labelled as such.

A wee note, and I am so sorry I have to add this to my website.

I sincerely thank the huge amount of readers that show up weekly to read my wee blog, and this note doesn’t apply to the majority of you.

I’m not perfect, and this website is free to browse, read, and use my recipes.  It’s a personal website, not a big business.  Sometimes I make mistakes.  If you find one, I’d like you to let me know so I can fix it, but please don’t call me names.

Also, please don’t use my photographs anywhere else, as I have taken most of them myself.  With some photographs, I’ve paid to be able to use them or been given the right to use them by their owners.

If you wish to use my photographs, please ask.

 

Get my latest news to your inbox - FREE

Giveaways

Giveaway & Competition – Hot Stone Massage in Aberdeen, Worth £70

Giveaway: Win one of the toughest cables on earth, worth £25. Ends 10 Feb 16

Foodies100 Index of UK Food Blogs
Foodies100

Copyright © 2023 ·

Copyright © 2023 · Divine Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

This website uses cookies to improve your experience.
We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can leave if you wish. Rejecting cookies will take you to google.com, leaving the scottish mum blog website. Accept Reject Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT